A Villain's Will to Survive novel Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Prepare (2)

"Pathetic..." Deculein said with contempt as he halted the class.

The lecture hall fell silent in the face of the senior professor's blatant disappointment. Only sighs could be heard. The Debutant mages, who had entered the tower with high hopes, now felt a stark barrier. Deculein's magic was that formidable. His Telekinesis was so powerful that it seemed absurd to call it mere Telekinesis.

According to conventional wisdom, Telekinesis was easy to learn but often considered minor if it didn't suit one's aptitude. If this mere Telekinesis was such a masterpiece, what could Deculein's other magic be like? How pure was his mana?

Despite his display of skill befitting a senior professor, the mages felt demoralized by his disdainful gaze. The heavy silence lasted only three minutes.

"Ugh, he's so annoying."

"If I knew how to do that, I wouldn't be a Debutant."

"Is he mocking us Debutants?"

"How did he manage to buy 150 mana stones? He must be loaded."

"He's got a reputation for blowing money. I heard he dropped 200 million elne at an auction in just one day."

"200 million?!"

The classroom buzzed with excited gossip.

"Wow... I'm exhausted. How did you do it, Epherene? I feel like I'm dying," Julia said, who had fainted for a moment.

Epherene glanced at her and shook her head and replied, "... I have no idea. My tongue feels numb."

When she succeeded, Epherene felt euphoric, almost like when she passed the entrance exam for the Mage Tower. Battling Deculein's magic and striving desperately for thirty minutes, she experienced a profound sense of accomplishment.

"What did it feel like?" Julia asked.

"It felt like trying to push a train with my bare hands."

Deculein's magic was like a wild boar from Roahawk, distinct from any other professor’s from the Mage Tower. When the intense focus ended, Epherene was utterly drained.

"Isn't this way too hard? It's like he wanted us to fail," Julia grumbled.

Epherene took a sip of water and said, "... I think I get it now. Ah, my tongue is finally loosening up."

"Hmm? Understand what?"

"I had an enlightenment," Epherene said, drawing the attention of those around her.

Even the front-row students turned to listen and asked, "An enlightenment?"

"Yeah. Honestly, I only knew Beginner Telekinesis, but trying to break through Deculein's magic felt like... I don't know, something just clicked."

A primal enlightenment. Beginner Telekinesis was clearly insufficient against Deculein's magic. However, by refusing to give up and striving desperately...

"It felt like my circuits opened up automatically, like a sudden enlightenment. An insight?"

In other words, the circuits opened. Lines appeared and circles expanded in the mental image of Telekinesis, and that spell interfered with Deculein's magic. It was an enlightenment beyond intuition.

With it, Epherene managed to move a mana stone, which was a success. She was close to Sylvia's level, so she had every right to feel proud. Her reward was the 3,000-elne mana stone in her hand.

"No way! That's so cool."

"I can't explain it well, but that's what happened," Epherene said, noticing the others' eyes sparkle with interest.

Words like enlightenment and insight are favorites among mages. Despite being in last place, Epherene's success made the others think, If she can do it, why can't I?

"Anyway, I think it's the right way. It's like in chess—you get better by playing against a master. If you only play against beginners, you end up going back and forth without really improving," Epherene added.

"Back and forth."

"Oh, yeah. My tongue's still kinda numb."

Epherene was convinced. Deculein's path was the right one. If she wanted to enhance her skills, knowledge, and abilities as a mage, she just needed to follow his lead...

However, not all the mages in the room shared her perspective. The noble mages, in particular, found Epherene's growth irritating. Even Sylvia, usually composed, seemed unsettled. She had heard a strange rumor that Epherene, who had been in last place, had received private tutoring from Deculein late at night.

Some professors had even seen Deculein leaving late. Although Sylvia didn't believe it at first, she couldn't otherwise explain Epherene's sudden progress. It was clear that Epherene's rapid growth was due to the private lessons she had received from Deculein...

Sylvia closed her eyes in frustration. The reward meant for the top scorer had gone to the lowest scorer, filling her with anger.

"Hey! Why aren't you cleaning up?" a voice suddenly shouted. It was Beck, the mage who mimicked Deculein's style. He turned to the commoners, including Epherene, and yelled, "Clean up now!"

"We've already cleaned our area," Julia retorted.

"What? You need to empty the trash cans too! Don't you know how much Professor Deculein hates messes?"

Despite the tower's rule against social distinctions, nobles often looked down on commoners.

Epherene frowned and said, "You can't even see it once the lid is on. If it bothers you so much, why don't you clean it yourself?"

"What? Ha, you little... Outside of the university, you wouldn't—"

Beck was interrupted by the opening classroom door. He quickly sat down as Deculein entered and noticed the blood still smeared on Beck's nose. His nose hairs were even slightly sticking out.

"I-I apologize! It won't happen again!" Beck stammered as he bowed deeply.

"Go back to your seat. You're distracting," Deculein ordered.

Beck's isolation brought quiet satisfaction to the commoners. They easily ignored his trembling presence at the back of the room.

"See? He doesn't care if you're a noble or a commoner," Julia whispered to Epherene, who shook her head.

"Well, I'm telling you, it's not a good thing. I don't like it."

Deculein began the lecture and asked, "Can anyone tell me why you failed at magic interference?"

"Because defending is easier," Sylvia replied, catching everyone off guard. Her dissatisfaction with Deculein was evident in her bulldog-like glare. Epherene raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Please show us an example, Professor."

Knowing that defense was easier, Sylvia believed she could last at least three, maybe five minutes against Deculein. She thought she would be satisfied if she could make Deculein tremble for those few minutes.

"Yes, defending is easier. Everyone knows that," Epherene added, further angering Sylvia.

"Alright," Deculein agreed confidently. He knew his Telekinesis was far superior, not just to the Debutants but to many others in the academy. "Let's begin."

Sylvia immediately activated her Telekinesis at full power. The mana stone floated up, caught in her magical grip.

Whoosh—!

In an instant, Deculein seized it from her.

"What?" Sylvia said, stunned. The stone had been snatched so quickly she couldn't comprehend what had happened. It took less than a second.

"Epherene, would you like to give it a try?" Deculein asked.

Epherene hesitated, then quickly searched her desk, bag, and notes. Lowering her head, she appeared embarrassed and said, "I'm sorry, I think I lost the mana stone."

"I'll give it back."

"... Ah, it was in my pocket. Sorry about that, I'll give it a try," Epherene said as she floated the stone and focused intently.

Despite her best efforts, Deculein effortlessly took the stone from her just as he had with Sylvia. The outcome was the same.

"How."

Epherene felt completely outmatched.

"The difference in magical skill is so vast that this isn't interference; it's a one-sided contest," Deculein stated.

Both Epherene and Sylvia frowned.

"Once you master Mana Interference, Magic Interference will become much easier. Now, observe this magic circle for the Whirlwind Blade Awl spell."

"... Ugh."